The invention relates to a heavy-duty packing for columns in the shape of a cylindrical stack of corrugated plates placed against one another in an alternatingly, oppositely oriented fashion.
In thermal separating techniques, regular-structure shaped packings are utilized in addition to simple bulk packings. The elements of the packing consist of obliquely corrugated plates placed in contact with one another in alternatingly oppositely oriented fashion so that open intersecting channels are formed which extend obliquely with respect to the axis of the column. As a result, a substantial improvement is obtained in contact between liquid and vapor phases, and thus in the degree of efficiency of the packing as compared with that of a bulk packing. By offsetting the individual packing parcels with respect to each other by in each case 90.degree., a further intermixing of the phases is achieved.
The packing elements consist of various materials, such as ceramic, stainless steel or other metallic materials, as well as of synthetic resins. The individual corrugated plates are joined together by sintering in case of a ceramic and by spot welding in case of steel. German Patent 1,300,511, Jul. 1, 1964 and 2,327,373, May 29, 1973, illustrate configurations of packing plates.
There has been the desire for a long time to manufacture high-performance packings from glass, a corrosion resistant material. This need, however, could not be fulfilled heretofore because the known bonding techniques, namely sintering or welding, cannot be utilized to bond glass.